


Can Money Buy Love?

by DinosaursAreJjang



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Eden Club, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn, Slurs, this was a late night idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-07-07 19:51:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15915117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinosaursAreJjang/pseuds/DinosaursAreJjang
Summary: On a walk to the paint store, Carl catches Markus staring awfully long at a blonde Android on Display at the Eden club. Deciding that Markus surely must be lonely, Carl decides to buy the Android for him.---------------------------------Out stepped the blonde Android that Markus had seen at the Eden Club just yesterday. Markus mouth opened in surprise. “Carl you didn’t…”“Yes I did Markus. You so rarely show interest in anything…and if I can save someone you show interest in from that dirty place, I will.” Carl responded while beckoning the Android to step inside the house.------------------In which Carl decides to play matchmaker, and Markus doesn't know how to deal with an overly touchy, beautiful blonde Android





	1. Chapter 1

It was a sunny spring day, and Carl had wanted to get some new paint in the city. Normally he would have simply sent Markus to pick it up, but the weather was nice and since Carl hadn’t been doing so well the past few days, Makus had argued that the fresh air and different surroundings might be better for him than staying in his room or his studio all day. It has been over 2 years since Markus had been activated and sent to the astounding villa of the famous painter. Carl was a kind person, and always had been respectful and kind to Markus. In the beginning, Markus tasks had only consisted of taking care of the household, and reminding Carl three times a day to take his medicine. But since the end of last year, Carls age had seemed to catch up with him cruelly fast. He’s become more and more bound to his wheelchair, when previously he’d only had to use it when he was outside for longer periods of time. This also meant that Markus had become Carls personal caretaker, he’d take the old man anywhere he wanted or needed to go, and cleaning jobs were usually done by human cleaners instead. Markus liked taking care of the old man. Maybe didn’t like…like wasn’t the right word, he couldn’t like or dislike anything now, couldn’t he? Pleasant, then. Taking care of Carl was pleasant. He always talked to Markus in the same way he would take to other humans. When he painted, he often was curious to know what Markus thought of it, and he seemed to value Markus presence more than other humans seemed to value their androids. This was something Markus had observed when he’d accompanied Carl to one of those parties rich people held. The other Androids he’d seen were not allowed to speak until asked to, and the only words that were spoken to them were orders. It seemed like a different world, it was so far away from the daily life Markus had with Carl.

  
“Markus, didn’t you want to go? If you keep thinking and staring at nothing the store might close before we get there.” Carl chuckled. Markus turned around, relaxing his facial expressions. He hadn’t realized he’d been thinking for so long. “Of course. Sorry, I got distracted for a moment”, he said while walking over to Carl. “No need to apologize. Everyone needs time to think”; Carl said and smiled. In the beginning, Markus had felt confused by these kinds of statements from Carl. He was an Android, Androids only needed to think to complete their tasks. By now, he has gotten used to Carls words. They didn’t seem so strange anymore.  
Earlier today, Markus had contacted Carls driver to pick them up outside of the beautiful villa that they lived in. The driver let them out at a corner before their destination, as Markus had insisted that taking a small walk to the store would be beneficial for Carls health, especially for his mental state. Carl had laughed at his choice of words, claiming that taking a walk with him would be an impossible thing to do. “You know what I mean Carl,” said Markus softly, while pushing Carls wheelchair along the sidewalk of a big and busy street. Carl simply smiled lightly and reached up to pat Markus hand. “I know.” Their pace was slow, and they held light conversations about the items displayed in the storefronts they passed. Carls opinion on todays fashion certainly wasn’t a very positive one, Markus thought to himself.

  
“What is this place?” Carl suddenly asked and Markus stopped in his steps. They had reached a big building engulfed in neon lights, glowing pink and purple even during the bright daylight. “I…don’t know” said Markus. The sides of the building had Androids on display, all of them barely wearing any clothing. He looked up to see the name of the assumed store. Eden club….Markus ran a quick search. Oh….that’s what this place was. He swallowed his disdain and quietly told Carl the definition of the pace that he’d just looked up. Carl furrowed his brows in clear disgust. “It’s frightening what kind of horrible things we humans think of. Always finding new ways to abuse those they created…” he mumbled quietly, clearly not happy with the place. Markus nodded, and slowly started pushing the wheelchair forward again. Best if they’d get to the paint store quickly, after all, this trip was an effort to boost Carls mood. Markus glanced at the Androids on display from the side. He felt weird. For some reason, he disliked the way this place was treating them, even though there was no way for him to feel empathy to other Androids. Or anyone in particular. He noticed that the Androids on display were of a variety of appearances, gender or ethnicities. The place catered to a wide spectrum of customers then.  
They had almost passed the place when Markus noticed a male Android standing at the very end of the row. He had blonde hair, and his eyes were following Markus. His icy blue eyes…something about them was intriguing. “Markus?” Carl asked. He had turned around halfway, and his glance was fixed on Markus. Markus had not noticed he had been slowing down in his pace. “Uh, sorry…it’s nothing.” Markus quickly said and picked up his pace to finally leave the wicked Eden Club behind. As they passed the blonde Android, Markus couldn’t help but look at him again. He was beautiful, but Markus didn’t know what made him think that. He wasn’t supposed to have an opinion on the appearance of other Androids. Or anything, actually.

  
When they finally reached the paint store, Carl took his time looking at the selection. Markus was glad to see the sparkle in his eyes return as he asked the Android working there detailed questions about the consistency of each paint type, discussing with him which one would be the most fitting for his next project. This was the reason Markus had insisted to bring Carl with him. The past few days, Carl had often complained about back pain, and hadn’t even taken an interest in painting. He just wanted to stay in bed all day, and according to the health information that Markus had downloaded, all of his behavious showed signs of depression. Markus didn’t want to accept that, and decided he’d do everything he could do to make Carls life more enjoyable for him. And that involved taking him to a trip to the paint store. “I think I got everything I need, let’s head back” said Carl as he finished talking with the paint stores Android. “Of course. Do you want me to call the driver directly to the store?” asked Markus while he placed the cans of paint in the bag he had slung over his shoulder before they left the house. Carl shook his head. “Let’s take the same route back. I’m not saying you were right, but fresh air might not be so bad.” He smiled lightly.  
Markus chuckled. “As you wish Carl.”

  
Walking back the same route they came from also meant passing by the Eden club again, but Markus didn’t think of that until he saw the brightly glowing building. The sun had already started to set by now, and the neon lights stood out even more this way. There were a few people entering and leaving the building now, most of them old men with a dirty smirk on their faces. Markus felt disgusted, but he didn’t know by what exactly. This was what these Androids were made for, why did he feel it was…horrible? Somehow, he couldn’t shake off that unpleasant feeling as they reached the store. “Was that the one you got distracted by earlier, Markus?”  
“I…what?” Markus stopped in his steps and looked at Carl, surprised by his sudden question. Then he looked in the direction Carl was looking at, the display window. The blonde Android was looking at him again. “I- no, why would I be distracted by him…” Markus quickly responded, stumbling over his words a little. He did get distracted earlier. But he shouldn’t be, and so he started walking again. Carl simply chuckled. “It’s alright Markus, I’m just teasing you.” But Markus was already thinking too much again to answer. When they almost passed the building, Markus looked back one more time. Why did it feel like this Android was still looking at him? And why did it matter? He shook his head and focused on his steps again. Time to go home first.  
Little did Markus know that one of the business calls Carl would be making this evening was going to be a call with the manager of the Eden Club.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Markus went through his daily routine of checking up on business orders and possible deadlines before he went to wake Carl up. One of the orders had today as its arrival date, but Markus didn’t bother to check the contents of the order. It was probably some painting supplies, as Carl sometimes ordered these by phone too. All he did was to make a note to stay inside the house until at least 3PM today, in order to be able to pick up the order when it arrived. Like most days, it was just Carl and him in this house. It was a quiet day too, even the birds that he’d normally hear in the morning didn’t sing yet. Markus completed his list of today’s tasks, and concluded it would continue to be a quiet and calm day, as there were no other things to be done today. He already had prepared Carls breakfast, and decided it was late enough in the morning that he should wake him up.

“Good morning Carl” he said as he pulled open the curtains that had prevented the light from coming in through the ceiling-high windows in Carls bedroom. “It’s 10am, and it is currently 25° degrees Celsius outside, which makes it 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Would be a waste to spend such a nice day in this dark room.” “Who says it would be a waste?” mumbled Carl while blinking, trying to get used to the bright sunlight. Markus smiled lightly. Carl had never been a morning person. “I say so”, he responded. “Also, you have an order coming in today. What did you get?” asked Markus while he walked over to Carls side, preparing one of his daily injections of medicine for him. Carl chuckled lightly. “Ah right. I got something…unusual. You’ll see. I’d like you to help me downstairs when the doorbell rings, I’d like to get the order in person.” Markus nodded. Carl always liked being able to confirm his orders by himself, and he assumed this one must be of some sort of importance then.

The rest of the morning went by swiftly. They discussed painting techniques over breakfast, and just as Markus had helped Carl downstairs and prepared to move him to the studio, the doorbell rang. “That must be the delivery we’ve been waiting for”, Carl declared as Markus nodded and pushed his wheelchair towards the gigantic entrance door. When Markus opened it, he saw a car directly parked in front of the entrance and a middle-aged men standing in front of it. “Carl Manfred?” “That would be me”, said Carl. The man looked at him in a weird way, Markus noticed. Then he shrugged his shoulders and walked up to Carl to hand him a paper to sign. “Have fun with it, I guess.” The man had a dirty-looking grin on his face as Carl finished signing the papers.

It? Markus furrowed his brows in confusion as Carl frowned. It was clear the man had made an implication that Carl did not approve of. “Hey you, time to say hello to your new owner” said the guy as he opened the car door. Out stepped the blonde Android that Markus had seen at the Eden Club just yesterday. Markus mouth opened in surprise. “Carl you didn’t…” “Yes I did Markus. You so rarely show interest in anything…and if I can save someone you show interest in from that dirty place, I will.” Carl responded while beckoning the Android to step inside the house. The Android looked at the entrance seemingly unsure, but soon enough nodded and stepped in. His eyes shortly looked over to Markus, but quickly turned back to Carl. “Hello. My name is Simon, but you can call me whatever you’d like.” Carl nodded to Markus to close the door, then turned back to the blonde Android.

Simon, Markus thought. It was a nice name. “Hello Simon. You see, I didn’t sent you here for myself. I’d like for you to accompany my dear friend, Markus over there.” Friend. Friend? Markus still looked confused. Carl just called him his friend….and he also said he’d purchased the blonde Eden Club Android for him? “Carl, why would you…” he started speaking, but Carl quickly shushed him. “I told you already. You know I wouldn’t want to support the way these Androids are made for such things…but I know you, and you won’t mistreat him. He’ll have a better life here than there” he explained. Then he slowly looked away, voice turning quieter. “And also…I don’t want you to be alone when I’m gone.” “Carl, no! Don’t say that.” Markus quickly responded. He did not want to think about that inevitable future, in which Carl would be gone. “You know it will happen one day. Not talking about it won’t change that. We humans are fragile machines, we break easily.” Markus clenched his jaw. He still didn’t like that thought.

Then his glance wandered back to Simon, who was still standing there motionless. He realized that as soon as Carl had told him that he’d purchased him for Markus, the Androids gaze was fixed on him. “Carl…what am I supposed to do here? Where is he gonna stay?” he mumbled quietly. Carl shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever you two want. He can stay in your room, or have one of the guest rooms. There’s plenty of space here.” He had given Markus a room right from the beginning, even though Markus had argued that he didn’t need one, he could recharger wherever and didn’t need a room or a bed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I will go paint.” He proceeded to roll towards the studio. “Carl wait, I’ll help.” Markus quickly stepped forward, but Carl shook his head. “I’m not that broken yet, I can still paint by myself. You can sort out things with our newcomer first.”

And then he left Markus standing in the lobby with Simon. “uh..okay.” Markus turned back towards the other Android. “Simon, was it? I guess I’ll uhm…show you your room?” The blonde Android smiled lightly and Markus couldn’t help but notice how bright his smile was. “Sure, whatever you want Markus.” He reached for Markus hand and lightly held onto it, expecting him to walk forward. Markus just looked at their hands. Why did he have to hold his hand to follow him? Then he remembered the place that Simon was built for and shuddered. Excessive amounts of contact were obviously required.

 

“Let’s uh…let’s go then.” He led Simon up the stairs and explained the rooms on their way. “This is Carls room, so please stay quiet in this area during the night. This is the living room. And this” – he pointed towards one door at the end of the corridor. “That’s my room. Yours uhm…” He looked around for a bit, but then decided. “Yours is the one next to mine then.” Simon turned his head to look at him. “I don’t need a room. I can stay with you, you know” he said while clasping both of his hands around Markus’. Markus felt weird. A corner in his display blinked. System instability. He had never gotten that kind of error message before. “Uhm, you don’t have to. There’s plenty of rooms here, and Carl doesn’t want us to recharge standing in a corner somewhere.” Simon smiled again. This wicked smile…Markus couldn’t look away. “But…” Simon stepped closer. “I’d like to stay with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite short again, so I'd like to ask you guys if you'd prefer me to update with shorter chapters and more frequently, or if you'd rather have longer chapters, even if they might take a bit longer? 
> 
> I didn't get to write much this weekend because i was at a con and looking at stunning Detroit cosplayers all day. #GavinArmy is pretty awesome, check out their photos on Twitter! 
> 
> Also a big thanks to everyone who bookmarked this and/or left a comment!


	3. Chapter 3

 

_Biocomponents #324 #312 #422 reaching unusual temperatures_

“You want to…stay with me? Uh…” Markus didn’t know how to respond. Simon was still holding onto his hands and smiling at him so brightly. Did they have to make his smile so beautiful? It felt like looking into a bright light, Simon was stunning him.  
The blonde Android nodded. “Of course. That’s what I’m here for.”  
Right….right. That was his programming, of course he’d refuse to have his own room.  
Markus pulled his hands back, and looked away. He didn’t want to take advantage of that, even if Carl wanted him to have company…that was not the kind of company he needed, or wanted for that matter. He didn’t have human cravings for that sort of thing. On the other hand, it didn’t seem like Simon could be reasoned with on that issue.  
“Uhm, fine then. Then this is our room…” Markus opened the door to his room. While the interior was as beautifully designed as the rest of the house, the room did not bear a single trace of being used. The king sized bed was perfectly made, not showing that Markus had laid in it the night before when he was recharging. The closets and cupboards were sparkling clean. After all, Markus didn’t use them much. He didn’t have things to put in them, except for a few sets of the exact same uniform.

“You can use this closet if you wanna put anything there, it’s entirely empty.” Markus explained while pointing to the closet on his left. Simon followed him, and nodded. He then proceeded to take off the coat he’d been wearing to place it inside the closet.  
The only problem with that was that he wasn’t wearing anything on top underneath.  
“Uh…Simon…” Markus mumbled while staring at the blonde Androids exposed upper body. He was slim, his muscles were only lightly defined. And for some reason, his skin seemed to be sparkling…wait, was that glitter?  
“Yes, Markus?” Simon answered, again with that soft smile and voice.  
“You uhm…you probably need a shirt?” Markus stuttered, still unable to look away from the beautiful Android in front of him.  
Simon chuckled. How did his voice sound so nice?  
“Of course not, I don’t need anything. Unless you’d prefer that?”  
Markus quickly shook his head. “Yea uh…I’m gonna get you a shirt anyways.” He couldn’t have Simon walking around the house like that. And more importantly, he couldn’t have Simon distract him like that. Markus quickly walked over to the cupboard next to the closet, and pulled out one of the shirts he usually wore around the house. Unlike his uniformed jacket, these shirts didn’t contain clear signs of being made for Androids. This should be fine.  
“Here, put this on.”  
Simon tilted his head to the side as his LED circle started spinning yellow. He carefully took the shirt and put it on as his LED turned back to blue. “I see you prefer plain-looking clothes on your partners then”, he said while smiling at Markus again.  
Markus felt his cheeks heating up. Was he blushing? He couldn’t possibly be blushing. Was that a feature he had? “I…uh…I’m not your…partner?”  
Simon smiled again and stepped a bit closer. “Excuse me if I may overstep my boundaries here. But I’ve been purchased from my previous position at the Eden Club establishment by Mr. Manfred. Mr. Manfred told me I was to be accompanying you. That makes me your partner, no?” He tilted his head slightly to the side again as he was looking at Markus, and Markus couldn’t help but note how incredibly cute that looked.

 

Markus was confused. He wasn't...his partner? But then again, Carls instructions had been pretty clear in that department. Simon was to accompany Markus...did that make him his partner? "Uh...listen, Simon." How was he gonna say this? "I know what Carl said but uh...I don't really need a partner in that sense of the word?"  
Simons smile faltered for a moment. He could be wrong, but Markus thought he saw a second of panic in the Androids eyes.

 

_Don't send me back there._

 

What was that? "Did you say something?" Markus asked. He could have sworn he heard something.  
As quickly as Simons smile had faltered, he put it back on. This time, it didn't look so bright. "No, nothing. It's okay if you don't need a partner. I'll be whatever you want me to be. If you are unsatisfied with my services, you can always exchange me for a better model."  
Jesus Christ...that was definitely not what Markus had meant. He grabbed onto Simons shoulder, and looked into his eyes. "I won't ever do that, do you understand?" He had no reason to send him back to that wicked place. And while the situation sure was awkward, and Markus didn't even really know why he felt such a strong aversion to the Eden Club, he wouldn't send him away. Not ever.  
Simons LED circle had turned yellow, his brows were furrowed and his expression had turned into a mildly confused one. "Thank you..." he mumbled quietly, as he decided to try harder to earn his keep. He didn't know what Markus wanted him to be, but he could put in more effort to find out what it was that Markus wanted, or needed.  
Markus smiled lightly and removed his hand again. "Don't thank me. It's ok."  
Simon nodded.  
"I gotta go check on Carl, it's almost time for lunch so..." Markus looked around the room. "You can stay here and relax if you want to? There's a couple of books over there that you could read if you get bored?"   
Simon tilted his head again. "You don't need any help?"  
"It's fine. I'll call you if there's anything, ok?" Markus smiled at him shortly, then quickly left the room. He didn't really know what to do with this situation yet, and maybe talking to Carl alone would help.

 

"Welcome back. How's Simon settling in?" asked Carl as soon as Markus entered the studio. He made some progress on his most recent painting, and looked quite pleased with it as Markus could tell. "He didn't want his own room, so he's staying in mine for now." Markus answered. "Carl...i don't really know what to do. This isn't part of my programming, and i'm afraid it will interfere with my daily routine here. I was made to take care of you Carl, not another Android."  
Carl sighed as he directed the machine that helped lift him up for his paintings to lower him back to his wheelchair.  
"I told you before Markus, I'm not that broken yet. You don't have to look after me 24/7, take some time for yourself. Or for yourself and Simon." He smiled lightly at Markus. "I'll be fine as long as you still make my breakfast, no one ever makes such perfect pancakes as you do."  
Markus couldn't help but chuckle. "You do know that your blood sugar levels do not allow me to make these too often, right?"  
Carl laughed. "I know, I know. I'm just saying, it will be fine. Now speaking about food...what's for lunch?"  
  
Markus had prepared a healthier version of Carls favourite Pasta, which Carl wasn't too happy about but he didn't complain this time. "Why don't you get Simon here and sit with me, mh? Feels lonely being on a diner table all by myself." Carl chuckled.  
"Or course. I'll be right back." Markus left the dining room, and made his way back to his room. This could turn out to be very awkward, what would they even talk about? But an order was an order and Markus shook his head to forget about these doubts. He knocked on the door to his room before opening it, so that he wouldn't surprise Simon too much.  
"Markus." Simon literally beamed at him from across the room. He was sitting on his bed, a philosophy book in his hands. How could a single Androids smile be so bright? Markus wondered.  
"Uhm...Carl asked us to accompany him during lunch" Markus mumbled, still blinded by Simons beautiful smile. Simon put his book aside and walked over to him, loosely wrapping his arms around Markus upper body. "Do you want me to accompany you too, then?"  
  
_Rising temperatures detected_

Shit, what was that? His temperature regulator must be broken, there's no other reason why he would react like that. "S-Sure?" Markus mumbled while carefully grabbing Simons arms and lowering them. Simon chuckled. "Then I'll go."

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Lunch wasn't half as awkward as Markus had imagined it to be. They had sat on Carls left side, and Carl had avoided asking Simon any questions about his previous placement at the Eden Club. Instead, he had talked about painting, and asked Simon casual questions about his day, how he was settling in. Simon always responded very politely, with the same friendly smile on his lips. When they ran out of topics, Carl had told Markus to turn on the TV, and they talked about what they saw on-screen. Simon seemed fascinated by it, his eyes were fixed on the screen and Markus only now had realized that Simon had been looking at him the entire time, except for those few moments of politely answering Carls questions. Did Simon never watch TV? Markus asked himself. It felt so ordinary to him, but of course...there'd be no reason to provide entertainment to the Androids at the Eden Club themselves, when they had to provide entertainment to others all day and night. Markus gulped. He didn't like thinking about this, somehow.  
He felt a subtle touch on his arm. „Are you okay?“ asked Simon quietly.  
Markus hadn’t expect him to notice the slight change in his expression as he was thinking. He nodded. „Yea, don’t worry. “ He tried to focus on the conversation again as Carl was explaining the basics of current politics to Simon while they were watching the news. Something about Russia. Simon was listening a lot more actively than Markus was. Markus wondered just how much the other Android knew about this world. He knew he was an exception, a prototype filled with more knowledge than simply the one he’d needed for his purpose of taking care of Carl. But what about others? What about Simon? Did they have a basic education that they programmed into every Android…or was all that others knew only that which was necessary for their purpose?

“Markus, what are you thinking about this time?” said Carl suddenly, a light touch of humor in his voice. He didn’t mind his Android drifting off into deep thoughts, in fact, he heavily encouraged it. But he was also curious to know what they were about.  
“It’s…nothing.” Markus responded quietly. “Just wondering why I was programmed with all this information about the world, when I so rarely need it.” He didn’t want to mention he was thinking about Simon again. It also seemed rude to assume his knowledge…and Markus definitely didn’t want to bring up the subject of the purpose that Simon had been made for.  
Carl chuckled. “Who says you don’t need it? I enjoy talking about politics with you, you know? And also…you have that knowledge because you are intelligent.” Carl smiled and gave Simon a pat on the shoulder. “Just like this great listener right here. You’re both certainly more intelligent than I am.” He laughed lightly, and Markus could see that Simon was smiling as well, flattered by the sudden compliment.  
Markus smiled. “Not intelligent enough to beat you at chess though.”  
Carl laughed again. “Oh shush, I only win because you let me!”

“What’s chess?”  
Markus and Carl both turned to Simon, who had curiously asked a question. Carls expressions softened and he looked over to Markus. “Why don’t you teach him, Markus?”  
Markus nodded. Why not? “Sure. But I’ll need your help explaining, Carl. You know I’m not good at that.”  
Simon and Markus both stood up and went to the chess board. Carl soon joined them, after he finished his lunch and he and Markus patiently explained the basic rules of chess to Simon. Of course, Simon could have downloaded a manual in seconds. But something about this, explaining piece by piece and showing the actions on the actual chess board together with Carl, was pleasant. And Simon was a fast learner, and a patient listener. When they finally finished explaining and they actually got to play a round, he almost beat Markus. Carl refused to play against them. “You two can win against me another day”, he said.  
And just like that, the rest of the day passed by quickly. They discussed the news again over dinner, and Carl soon went to bed.

“Guess we should get into rest mode soon too” said Markus and smiled lightly at Simon. The more they had talked during the day, the less awkward it felt. It was different from talking to Carl, but something about Simons concentrated face when listening, or his bright smile when he was making progress on chess, or his quiet voice when answering made Markus feel at ease.  
Simon nodded. “Of course.” And just like that, he grabbed Markus hand and started walking towards their room. _Their room_. What a weird thought, but that’s what it was now.  
Oh, and Simon was holding his hand. Markus blinked perplexed, but they had already reached the room and Simon had opened to door to gently tug him inside and close the door behind them.

What now?  
“Maybe…you’d like to change into something more comfortable for the night?” asked Simon, his voice suddenly being much closer to Markus than it was before. Markus blinked again and realized that Simon was standing very close in front of him. Very, very close.  
Markus cleared his throat and nodded. “That would be a good idea, yes.”  
Simon smiled at him. “I’ll help then.” And before Markus could say anything, Simon had already grabbed the edges of his shirt and started pulling it up.  
“Whoooaa wait.” Markus quickly grabbed Simons hands to stop him. He felt like his face was heating up again. “You don’t need to help me.”  
Damn, Simon did that adorable tilt to the side again.  
Before Markus could change his mind (or before Simon could find another way to make him flustered) he quickly stepped over to the cupboard and grabbed a set of the clothes he usually put on during the night in order to not make his daytime clothing wrinkly while resting. He could feel Simon was still watching him.  
“Could you maybe uh…turn around for a bit?”  
Simon chuckled. Why did they have to make his voice so nice?  
“Sure.” He turned around and Markus let out a sigh of relief. That would have been awkward.  
After he changed his clothes he grabbed another set and stepped over to Simon, lightly tapping his shoulder. “You can turn around now.”  
  
Simon immediately smiled at him again. “You’re a bit shy, huh?”  
Shy? “I…don’t think that’s a feature I have?” mumbled Markus, but he couldn’t truly deny it. Something about the thought of Simon seeing him undress was making him feel weird.  
“Don’t worry, most people are shy at first” said Simon quietly while still smiling at him.  
Was Markus imagining it or did Simon already step closer again? And what exactly did he mean with ‘at first’?  
“uh yeah…you might wanna change too?” Markus held out the clothes he just took from the drawer.  
Simon nodded, took the clothes from him and swiftly proceeded to undress.  
Markus eyes widened, and he quickly turned around. This was something he probably had to get used to. But of course, Simon was more used to not wearing clothes than he was used to wearing them, wasn’t he? There’s no reason for him to be self-conscious about anything then.  
“You can turn back around, Markus. I’m decent now” said the blonde Android suddenly, an amused tone in his voice.  
Markus turned back around. Simon looked so…soft in his clothing. Why did he feel the urge to hug the other Android? He quickly shook his head to get rid of the thought. “Let’s get to rest then…”  
  
Simon followed him to the bed, and didn’t hesitate to lie down directly next to Markus.  
There was only one blanket. They didn’t need it, of course…but Markus had gotten used to going into rest mode with the blanket drawn over him. It made him feel more at ease.  
“Should I get another blanket maybe?” he asked Simon, voice unsure.  
Simon smiled at him and grabbed the blanket, pulling it over both of them.  
“We can share…”  
Sure. Sharing a blanket with an Android who knew nothing about personal space. What could go wrong?  
Markus gulped. “Ok then…”  
  
As soon as he answered, Simon practically beamed at him.  
“Great!”  
Before Markus could say anything, Simon had wrapped his arms around him and placed his head on his chest. Markus eyes widened. “I uh…what are you doing?”  
“I’m not used to sleeping on my own” mumbled Simon, eyes already closed as he snuggled against Markus. Of course, Markus should have known...but he didn’t want Simon to feel as if he had to act like this. Markus didn’t need that sort of contact.  
Feeling Markus tense up, Simon added quietly: “And my temperature regulators aren’t as good, I can’t get too cold when I’m in rest mode.”  
Oh. Now that was a reason Markus could live with.  
He pulled Simon closer to him, and made sure the blanket covered the other Android properly. Actually, this wasn’t so bad. Markus smiled lightly. “Let’s rest then.”  
Simon nodded. “Mhm.” His breathing rhythm already had fallen into a slower pace, and his LED had turned into a light green color, indicating that he had already entered rest mode.  
Markus kept looking at him for a moment. Something about Simons face was fascinating to him, and having him be so close…it felt intimate in a way. Markus closed his eyes and prepared to enter rest mode as well. He was glad that Simon was here now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a big thank you to all of you who read the story, and those who left such sweet comments!  
> I'm so glad you guys like this!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a huge thank you to everyone who commented or left kudos!

Markus woke up in the middle of the night. He had fallen into rest mode so quickly, and was therefore a bit disoriented. Normally it took him a while to be calm enough to enter rest mode. It may be because he was a prototype, but for some reason his processors ran crazy during the night, when everything was quiet and he had nothing else to do. He normally remembered everything that happened during the day, processed it and thought about what could have been different. That was something that normally happened during rest mode, but for some reason, Markus was always awake when he did that. There were so many nights in which he barely got any rest because of that, leading to his movements and thinking processes turning slower during the day, almost as if he was tired. When he asked Carl, he simply had answered “that’s insomnia, you must be thinking a lot during the night then.” Carl liked to give human explanations to his problems, even though Markus was 99,9% sure that Androids couldn’t develop insomnia. It was a human sickness, it shouldn’t affect him.  
He blinked a few times until his visual processors got used to the darkness and slowly began to make out shapes of furniture in the dark room. It was unusual for him to wake up in the middle of his rest. And what was that weight on his chest?  
  
Oh right, Simon. Markus looked over to the Android next to him. It seemed as if he had moved even closer during the night than he already was when he had entered rest mode, but something…was off. The blonde Androids hand was grasping his shirt with much more force than it did before, and his LED was switching between the light green color of rest mode and a dark red. His brows had furrowed, and his breathing pattern sounded irregular. Markus leaned up a little and gently rubbed over Simons shoulder. “Simon?” Something about the way Simon looked right now was worrying to Markus, and maybe it would be better if he woke him up. Red never meant anything good.  
The other Android didn’t wake up, he curled more against Markus and the hand that grabbed onto his shirt was shaking slightly. His LED showed a lot more red than green now.  
“Simon!” Markus grabbed onto his shoulder and shook him a little this time. He didn’t know how to wake other Androids out of their rest mode, and this was most certainly worrying. _Please wake up_.  
Luckily, this time Simon opened his eyes.  
And immediately rushed away from Markus, now completely shaking.  
  
“Simon what…” Markus looked at him worried. This was…odd. Why would he be so scared of him? Just what exactly had he been processing during the night?  
 The other Android was still shaking, panic in his eyes as he looked around the room in a rush, trying to figure out where he was.  
“Simon?”  
As soon as the blonde Androids gaze wandered back to him, his eyes widened. Markus couldn’t tell if that still was panic in his eyes or…fear?  
“Markus….” Simon quickly tried to regain his usual posture, immediately putting a light smile on again.  This time, the smile didn’t seem as bright as it had in the evening. It seemed forced.“I…sorry for the scare.” He shifted back to Markus side again, trying to act normal.  
“Are you…okay?” asked Markus, still worried. He saw Simon in a state of utter panic just now, how could he smile again just a few seconds after? Whatever had happened, it made no sense for Simons behavior to change that quickly.  
Simon nodded. “Yeah, sure! Don’t worry! You should get back to rest mode, it’s still in the middle of the night. Sorry for waking you up.” And with that, he proceeded to lightly press on Markus shoulder, trying to make him lie down again.  
What was he doing?  
“Simon, stop” said Markus calmly and gently took Simons hand. “You don’t have to apologize. Tell me what’s wrong, please. Your LED was blinking red, I know something was wrong…”  
Simon looked at him with an unsure expression in his eyes. He nibbled on his lower lip a bit, then slowly moved closer and let his weigh sink against Markus body.  
Markus wrapped his arms around him in response, almost automatically. Maybe this would help calm him down a little bit.  
“I…sometimes I have trouble processing events at night. Sometimes my CPU is processing events that aren’t…mine. That never happened to me. That are…scary. Humans call these Nightmares, but I don’t know what the Android equivalent is.” Light blue eyes looked up at Markus, worried. The expression of panic had gone, but Simon still looked…scared. “I’m sorry I might…I know this isn’t supposed to happen…I might be a bit broken. I’m not the newest model…”  
_Please don’t send me back._ He didn’t have to say these words for Markus to hear them.  
Silently, he pulled Simon closer to him and calmly rubbed over his back.  
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”  
He could feel the other Android slowly relax under his touch.  
“Besides…I got my own bugs too, you know?” said Markus, trying to lift the mood a little.  
“You do? “Simon curiously looked up at him.  
„Yeah! I have trouble entering rest mode at night, my CPU tends to process things while I’m still awake instead of doing that during rest mode! It takes me hours to finally enter rest mode sometimes, and recharge my energy. Carl already attempted to send me to a psychiatrist for Insomnia when I complained to him about that. Can you imagine? An Android just strutting up into a psychiatrist’s office, saying ‘Hey I got Insomnia’?”  
The corner of Simons mouth started twitching, and he laughed quietly.  
His laugh was light, and breezy, and all sorts of beautiful. Markus made a mental note to make him laugh more often. He smiled warmly at the blonde Android.  
“So see? We all got our little problems. It’s fine. You’re not broken.”  
Simon nodded, then smiled at him. This time, the smile seemed honest “Thank you Markus…” He leaned up and pressed a light kiss onto his cheek.  
  
Whoa. Markus blinked, too stunned to respond with anything other than staring at Simon while he could feel the temperatures in his face rising again. He only had felt Simons lips on his skin for a tiny moment, but his lips had felt so…soft. And just how often did he already describe something about Simon as ‘soft’?

„Markus, your cheeks are turning blue…“ Simon chuckled and lightly ran his fingers over Markus cheek. Markus shivered under his touch. Why did his body react like that? “Uh….yeah, I also got some malfunctions, remember?” Markus responded with an awkward smile. He wasn’t so sure what was happening to him.  
“You sure this is a malfunction?” asked Simon while cupping Markus face and pulling him closer to him. His face was so close now. Markus couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes. Simons face was…fascinating to him. Every little detail looked beautiful to him, and Markus didn’t know why he was thinking that.  
“Not just a reaction?” And with that, Simon smiled again and placed a tiny peck on the corner of Markus mouth.

_Biocomponents #324 #312 #422 reaching unusual temperatures_

Markus didn’t know how to respond. He just sat there, staring at Simon who was only centimeters away from his face while his temperature regulator struggled to keep his temperature normal. He’d felt Simons breath against his lips for a moment, and the way his lips had felt on the corner of his mouth was electrifying.

“I…don’t know?”  
  
Simon smiled again, and leaned in a little closer. Again.  
“Wanna find out?”  
  
Markus was still staring at him as he was struggling to understand what Simon was doing.  
‘Flirting’ was the answer his search through online databases came up with. Simon was flirting with him.  
And just as Simon leaned forward again, and he felt his breath against his lips, Markus understood the reason behind it.  
“Wait.” He placed his hand on Simons chest, keeping him at a bit of a distance. “You don’t have to do that.”  
The blonde Android looked at him with that adorable head tilt again.  
“What if I want to?”  
Markus shook his head. He knew this was simply what Simons program told him to do. And while he also functioned on a certain program, it would feel wrong to have this sort of physical closeness with Simon simply because it was what Simon used to do. ‘Kissing’ was something his database connection with words like ‘Love’ and ‘Attraction’. They couldn’t feel either of those, couldn’t they? Those were human feelings. Kissing without feelings behind it, it must be wrong. It felt wrong to Markus, he didn’t want Simon to believe that he was expecting this sort of thing from him.  
“Listen…I know you’re used to this, but you’re not at that place anymore. I mean… I know you were told to accompany me but…I’m an Android too Simon. I don’t need this kind of service. I’m fine with just having you here, knowing you’re alright. I’m okay with just talking to you, I really don’t need anything else.”  
Simon was listening quietly, looking at him with an expression Markus couldn’t quite place.  
“Just…don’t worry about any of that, ok? You’re here with me now. I won’t send you away, and Carl won’t either. I can promise you that. So you don’t need to do this…”  
“What do you want me to do then?... What do you want me to be?” asked Simon, in his quiet but calm voice. His LED was processing, a bright yellow and he still looked at him with the same expression. He seemed…cautious for some reason. Like he wanted to believe Markus, but couldn’t truly bring himself to do so. Markus would need to find something, something he wanted Simon to be that he could tell him in good conscience. 'In good conscience', it was another one of those phrases he picked up from Carl. But it fit.  
Markus thought for a moment, then he smiled lightly as he came to a conclusion.  
“A friend.”

Simon blinked, seemingly surprised by his answer. “A…friend? Just a friend?”  
Markus nodded. It didn’t contradict Carls instructions to Simon to accompany Markus, and being a friend didn’t put pressure on Simon to do anything like he was used to do. ‘Friend’ was a good word to use then.  
“I don’t think my model is equipped for that, Markus, i know nothing about Friendship…” Simon said quietly, LED still blinking yellow as he was thinking. “But…” his lips curled into a small smile as his LED turned back to a light blue. “I’d like to try.”

Markus smiled even wider in response and ruffled gently through Simons hair.  
“Great! I’m glad. Now do you wanna try going back into rest mode again? It’s still a long time until morning, and getting a bit more rest might not be so bad.”  
Simon nodded slowly. “Sure.”  
  
They laid back down together, blanket pulled over both of them. Simon immediately snuggled back against Markus, like he did before.  
“Simon I told you you don’t have to-“  
“Shhh” Simon gently placed his fingers on Markus lips to make him shut up. “I know. I actually do get cold.” Markus blinked while looking at the blonde Android at his side, then chuckled. He couldn’t complain now, could he?  
“Now go rest.” Simon mumbled and pulled his hand back to lightly grab onto Markus shirt again. He already had closed his eyes.  
Markus was more than happy to comply with his request and quickly fell back into rest mode. Having Simon next to him felt safe, and comforting.  


	6. Chapter 6

As awkward having Simon here had been in the beginning, the two Androids quickly managed to fall into an easy routine over the next few days. In the morning, Markus would get up to prepare Carls breakfast like usual, while Simon only woke up for a moment before falling back into rest mode for a while longer. Markus knew it was because Simon often had nightmares during his rest, and they were draining on him. He didn’t mind the other one resting a bit longer, this way at least he wouldn’t get bored during the morning while Markus went through his daily routine of preparing breakfast and waking up Carl. Every morning, when he served Carl breakfast he would ask Markus if Simon wanted to join them. Depending on how much rest he knew Simon had got in the night before, Markus would go and try to wake him up too. The past days, Markus would gently shake his shoulder in an attempt to wake Simon up, only to have Simon mumbling a lazy “five more minutes”, turning back around end going back into rest mode. Markus would then let Simon rest more while he talked with Carl over politics or philosophy at breakfast. Sometime between breakfast and lunch, Simon would find them in whichever room they were in and greet both of them with a wave and a smile. They’d spent the rest of the morning with either watching Carl paint in the studio, or separately reading books in the library. Sometimes, they watched TV too but there was usually nothing interesting on in the mornings.

During lunch, Carl would engage Simon in various topics, as he deemed Simons way of thinking “quite interesting.” Markus couldn’t disagree, he enjoyed listening to Simon talk about any topic in his usual simple and innocent way of speaking. One time, when Carl and Markus had been talking about the stand-off situation of the US and Russia in the Arctic and Carl had asked Simon for his opinion, Simon had just furrowed his brows for a moment and then tilted his head to the side, simply asking “why can’t they just share?” At first it may sounded as if Simon was just…very pure, but usually if Carl or Markus asked him follow-up questions, he tended to explain his response in such a logical and creative way that Markus was sometimes wondering how Simon managed to think of all that. In the case of “why can’t they just share”, Simon had actually explained an idea of how to equally distribute ressources without having to go into war. Carl had been very impressed, and so was Markus. Simon picked up on everything he read about, or saw on TV, or heard from Carl or Markus incredibly fast. This also showed in his chess skills, as they often played a couple of games of chess after lunch. Sometimes, one of them formed a team with Carl and played against the other Android, and sometimes it was just one versus one. Carl often complained about how they let him win, but when he lost he wasn’t too happy either. However, he liked watching some of the games Markus played against Simon. Markus lost more often with each day that passed, and Carl seemed very amused by that. He’d proudly pat Simons shoulder, smiling at both of them with joy in his eyes. Carl had seemed much more energetic since Simon had arrived. He talked less often about how death was certain, about how his health was failing him than before. He also painted more.

In the hours in which Carl was busy with painting, Simon and Markus usually watched TV shows, and often movies as well since Markus had made it his duty to show Simon all the ‘classics’. ‘Classics’ simply meant all the movies that Carl had told Markus about on several occasions, and made sure to often tell Simon about too. Carl had actually given Markus a list in the beginning of Markus time there, and Markus hadn’t gotten to watch all of them himself yet. He could have easily downloaded a summary, but he knew Carl would appreciate him actually watching them. And now that Simon was here, they could watch them together anyways.

  
The two of them usually sat on the couch, close to each other but barely touching. Except for the one time when they watched “Brokeback Mountain” (it was on Carls list for some reason), during that time Simon had rested his head on Markus shoulder while Markus tried hard not to act too awkward during the more explicit scenes. Other than that, they barely had any physical contact during the day after Markus had that talk with Simon. Simon would still hold onto his hand when they went somewhere, and he always cuddled up next to him during the night. But he didn’t try to kiss him anymore, or…anything of that sort. Markus felt a lot less awkward, and being with Simon felt more natural and comfortable now. He saw that Carl liked his presence too, and he was glad to see how positive Simons influence on Carls mood had been as well.  
They’d discuss various topics during dinner too, and went to sleep (Carl had told them to just say ‘sleep’ instead of ‘going into rest mode’, it was faster to say) soon after. This had been their daily routine for about a week now.

 

Today, however, was different. The day had already started different, as Simon appeared at the breakfast table without Markus even having to try and wake him up.  
“Simon, what a pleasant surprise! Good morning, come sit with us!” Carl immediately greeted the blonde Android. Simon smiled brightly at him. “Good morning Carl.” Markus was still standing next to the table as he was finishing placing the plates in front of Carl.  
“Good morning Markus” said Simon, and he stepped closer to Markus to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Uhm…good…morning Simon?” Markus responded, surprised by his action. Simon simply smiled at him, and took a chair to sit down next to Carl. Markus could see the all-knowing grin on Carls face. “Had a good night, hm Markus?”  
Markus quickly shook his head. “That…that’s not what…you’re misunderstanding...”  
Carl laughed again. “It’s fine, I don’t need to know what you youngsters are doing as long as you two are happy.”  
Simon practically beamed at him and nodded. “Thank you Carl!”  
Markus looked at him a bit confused, then sat down next to him. He probably should talk about this with Simon later. He didn’t mind a peck on the cheek, but it was different from how Simon had behaved the past days, so he was wondering what made him do that so suddenly. Carl was still looking very amused, but didn’t say anything else. They passed breakfast time with their usual discussion topic: whatever was on the news.  
  
After breakfast, Carl decided to send Markus to the paint store to pick up some supplies he had ordered. “Take Simon along with you, and take your time. I’m just gonna order lunch so you better not be back before dinnertime. And maybe get yourselves some new clothes too, must be weird to always be wearing the same ones as each other.” he said, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes before he moved to the studio, leaving Markus and Simon to their own devices. “I guess…we’re going into town?” said Markus and turned around to Simon. The other just smiled at him and nodded. “Seems like it. I don’t think I ever really got a chance to see anything there…what’s it like?”  
“You’ll see….it’s usually pretty busy. Lots of people around, lots of Androids too…” answered Markus. He had forgotten just how little Simon had seen of the outside world. “Come on, we probably should get changed.” As he walked back to their room, Simon quickly grabbed his hand and followed him. “Why?” he simply asked, a curious tone in his voice. Markus opened the door to their room and walked over to the closet. “It’s regulated that Androids have to wear clothing that designates them as Androids when they’re in public. In private places they can wear whatever their owners choose, but we gotta wear these in public. Catch!” Markus smiled and threw a LED armband over to Simon, who failed to catch it and seemed a bit embarrassed by his lack of reaction speed. “Markus! Don’t just throw things, I’m not made to be fast!” Simon complained as he bent down to pick up the LED armband, but Markus could see in his eyes that he wasn’t actually annoyed. “Sorry.” Markus chuckled and turned back to the closet to grab the vest he normally wore over his shirt when he went into town, as well as an additional LED armband. He didn’t have a second vest, but it wasn’t so bad to be wearing different than Simon for once. Markus was glad Carl had told them to buy clothes too, he didn’t know if Simon was okay with always wearing the same thing he did. He put the vest and the armband on, then turned back to Simon. “Here, it goes on your right arm.” Simon smiled at him as Markus wrapped the glowing armband around his arm. “You know Markus…I thought I’d be glad to see you in something different but I gotta say…this vest really doesn’t fit you.”  
Markus blinked surprised, then looked back at Simon who had a playful grin on his lips. Simon had become a lot more direct and honest with his opinions over the last week, thought Markus and chuckled. “Well, good thing we can buy something new today then.”

 

They took the bus into town, as Simon had said he never took the bus before. When they entered the Android compartment, it was awfully quiet and Markus realized none of the Androids were talking to each other. As far as he could tell, none of the humans in the front part of the bus did either. Simon looked around curiously, but he didn’t speak either. Probably because he also didn’t want to be the only one talking on such a a quiet bus. After a few seconds, Markus could feel Simons fingers wrap around his hand. He looked over at Simon, who sent him a small smile, then looked forward again to fit in with the other Androids. Markus gently squeezed his hand before doing the same.  
  
After a couple of minutes, the bus arrived at its destination: city square, one of the busiest places in town. It would only be a short walk to the paint store from there, as Markus had planned that place to be their first stop. Better to get the most important assignment done first, they could look for new clothes and find other ways to spend time afterwards. The two Androids left the bus, but Simons hand hadn’t moved. Markus gently intertwined his fingers with Simons, it would be more comfortable for both of them this way. He could see Simons lips curl into a light smile at his actions. They quietly walked in the direction of the paint store, enjoying the light breeze on their synthetic skin. The main square came into their view soon. There weren’t as many people around as normally, however, the small crowd that was there was strangely loud for their size. Markus furrowed his brows as they reached the square. The people there were holding signs with Anti-Android slogans, one of them was holding a speech about how Androids stole their jobs and must be destroyed. He felt Simon holding onto his hand a bit more tightly, eyes trained on the protestors. “Don’t worry Simon” he said and gently squeezed his hand. “They’re not gonna do anything, or they’d get into trouble.” Just as Markus had finished his sentence, Simon spotted a few of the protesters walking into their direction. “Uhm…Markus? I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for all the comments on the last chapter! these make me so happy to read, i'm glad you enjoy the story!


	7. Chapter 7

A group of four men were walking towards them. “Shit uhm…let’s go another way” said Markus and tried to pull Simon to the side, hoping to avoid the protestors.  
“You better stop, fucking robot!” yelled one of them.  
Shit. Markus stopped in his track. Simon still held tightly onto his hand, but he stopped right next to him. They had to somehow talk their way out of this.  
The men stopped in front of them. One of them still held a sign with Anti-Android slogans, but they didn’t seem to be carrying weapons otherwise. Markus furrowed his brows. Even so, it would be difficult to get out of this unarmed if these men decided to attack them. Androids weren’t allowed to fight back, and who knows how fast police would arrive. One of them, a brown haired guy on the shorter side of the spectrum nudged the black-haired, tall man that stood at the very front, seemingly the leader of the group. “Would you look at that? Two robots holding hands.” He chuckled, then spit on the ground. The leader laughed, a disgusting smile forming across his lips. “They build faggot Androids now too huh? Makes me wanna throw up!”  
Markus noticed Simons LED spinning yellow on his side, but he quickly looked back to the humans as the leader stepped closer, very obviously trying to start a fight.  
“Look, these tincans can’t even respond with anything. What a bunch of useless metal, aren’t they?” The rest of the group laughed as the leader stopped in front of Markus, still grinning. “Bad enough that you’re stealing our jobs. But that, in public?” He nodded to their hands. “That’s even more disgusting. Who the hell would buy a freaking faggot robot huh?”  
Markus blinked. Somehow, he felt Simons hand relaxing from the moment the leader of the group had stepped in front of him. Wasn’t Simon worried?  
“Answer tincan! Who would buy a faggot robot, huh??” said the leader again, this time a bit louder as the rest of his group stepped closer as well. Markus was still running through scenarios, trying to determine whether ignoring them or answering was the better option as Simon suddenly stepped in front of him.  
“Why don’t you ask that yourself, Terry?”  
Markus blinked surprised as he heard Simon speak. He looked at the other Android in confusion, but he soon realized that the other 3 men looked even more confused. “yo what the hell Terry why does this thing now your name?”  
The leader of the group, Terry, had his eyes widenend in surprise. No…he looked scared? Why would he look scared?  
“I uh…it probably scanned me or something, who knows what these tincans can do!”  
Simon chuckled.  
  
He chuckled? Markus looked at him even more confused. It was one thing that Simon remained so calm in this situation, but he actually looked…amused? What was going on?  
“Oh Terry, but don’t you already know what Androids are capable of? I mean, with your weekly visits to the Eden Club I bet you know quite a lot about us ‘tincans’, don’t you?” Simon placed his left hand on his hip, still holding onto Markus hand with his right while sending a mischievous smile towards Terry. His words had quite the effect on him, Markus noted, as Terrys face turned a light shade of red while the other 3 guys became agitated.  
“Bro what the fuck?? You actually went to that Android fuckplace? Didn’t you always say they’re disgusting??”  
Terry quickly shook his head. “No i—I would never! I have no idea what this faggot is talking about!”  
Simon raised an eyebrow. “Oh really now? ‘Faggot’, still? Interesting how you call us that when it’s you who always books the same male Android model every single week You know what’s even more interesting Terry? Kai, your weekly favourite, is a TJ350 model…and you know, they’re built to dominate.” Markus only stared at Simon in fascination. The blonde Android had a smirk on his lips as he continued speaking. “And yet….you always choose the same one. So tell me Terry” he lightly pushed against Terrys chest, causing the shocked and embarrassed guy to stumble back a few steps. “Who’s the real faggot here?”

Markus jaw dropped as he admired Simon. The blonde Android looked so incredibly confident in this moment. And….his speech had worked? The rest of the men surrounded their leader, obviously not happy about this revelation. “What the hell man?? You getting fucked by an Android guy every week?” “Bro what the fuck why do you rally us against Androids if you like them so much” “Are you seriously a bottom??”  
Markus felt a light tug on his hand. “We probably should go now” said Simon, smiling at him as he gently pulled him away from the fighting humans. The protestors didn’t even notice the two of them walking away quickly, and soon enough Markus and Simon had turned around a few corners, leaving the protestors behind nowhere to be seen. When they finally stopped walking, Markus leaned back against a wall and looked at Simon in fascination. “Simon…how did you know what to do there? That this would be enough of a distraction?”  
Simon shrugged his shoulders and stood next to Markus, leaning back to. Their shoulders were touching, and he still hadn’t let go of Markus hand. “I didn’t know. But his words…they were making me angry.” Markus looked at him curiously. “Was everything true that you said?”  
Simon nodded, and chuckled quietly. “Yes…and no. I honestly don’t know if he actually went there weekly, that was just a lucky guess. I just remember he was there the last day I worked there. I talked with Kai for a bit afterwards, before they picked me up to drive over to your place. And since the humans who work there aren’t the brightest, they forgot to do a last memory swipe before I left, so I still remember.” Simon must have noticed that Markus expression had changed into a slightly worried one as soon as he had mentioned memory swipes. The blonde Android shrugged his shoulders and continued nonchalantly: “Anyways…From what Kai told me, that guy’s into some kinky stuff. And it’s so hypocritical of him to call us slurs like that, given his preferences. So I thought…better let his buddies know what their leader does in their spare time.”  
Markus smiled at him with an amused expression again. “Simon, I didn’t know you were so incredibly good at throwing shade! Where did you learn that?”  
Simon grinned at him. “Remember that day when you cooked that complicated dinner for Carl for a couple hours? You told me to watch TV and well…” He chuckled. “There was a marathon of RuPaul’s Drag Race, I may or may not have memorized some of it.”

Markus blinked, then burst out in laughter. So that’s where Simon had suddenly got that level of sass from. “You continue to surprise me, Simon…” he looked over to him, smiling fondly.  
Simon smiled brightly at him in response. “Thanks! Now…” He let go of Markus hand shortly to hop in front of him. “Shall we pick up that paint and then go shopping?”  
Markus nodded. It was still in the morning, and they had plenty of time to pick up everything, but he was looking forward to the day. “Of course.” He stepped back away from the wall he’d been leaning against and offered his hand to Simon. “Let’s go?”  
Simons lips curled into a wide smile as he took his hand. “Let’s go!”  
  


They had to walk a few more minutes to Bellini’s paint store than expected, due to the detour they took earlier when walking away from the protestors. Markus didn’t mind though. Just walking quietly, with Simons hand in his and looking at their surroundings was a pleasant way to spend the time. When they arrived the paint store, Markus let go of Simons hand shortly to step to the cashier and tell them about the items he came to pick up. Simons gaze lingered on Markus for a bit before he walked around the store and looked at the different paints they sold while Markus completed the transaction. Markus carefully placed the boxes of paint he’d purchased in the backpack he had brought along. As soon as he finished, Simon was at his side again and placed his hand on his, interlinking their fingers again. “Ready to get some new clothes?”  
Markus smiled back at him and nodded. They left the store together and decided to simply look around the area to see which stores caught their interest instead of heading to a particular destination. It was strange, how fast one could get used to the presence of someone else, Markus thought while gently moving his thumb over the back of Simons hand. He couldn’t imagine not having Simon by his side already. His presence felt so…comforting, somehow. Like nothing could go wrong with Simon by his side.  
“What are you thinking about this time?” asked Simon softly.  
Markus shook his head. “Nothing much.”  
“Oh really?” Simon chuckled, and gently tapped a finger against Markus’ temple. “Then why’s your LED yellow?”  
Markus chuckled. “Can’t really hide anything, huh? I was just thinking…” What was he thinking about exactly? He gently squeezed Simons hand. “That uh….that this is nice.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much to everyone who reads this story! i'm always so so happy when i see someone leaving kudos or reading your comments ^-^  
> Of course i couldn't let them get hurt, they must be protected at all costs!


	8. Chapter 8

Simon chuckled, then nodded. “It is nice…” A light smile graced his lips.   
Markus smiled warmly in response, then looked back at their surroundings. There was a clothing store on their right side that seemed to be in an acceptable price range. Carl had told him to buy whatever they found suitable, he’d gone extra lengths to make sure Markus knew that price wasn’t an issue. However, Markus still didn’t want to spend Carls money carelessly. They were just Androids after all, they didn’t need such high quality clothing. But he also knew Carl would be offended if he purposely acquired Simons and his new clothes in a low budget store. So Mid-range it was then.  
“Let’s check out this one.” Markus gently pulled Simon along with him to the store and entered. The store was quite big, with a wide selection of styles. They should be able to find something here.

  
“Welcome to Liza’s Boutique! How can I help you?” a female voice welcomed them as a young girl with long, auburn hair stepped out from behind the counter to greet her new customers. There was another female employee standing at the cashier.   
“We’re not too sure yet, may we look around first?” Markus responded in a polite, warm voice.   
The girl looked at them curiously, eyes glancing over their LEDs. “Uh yeah, sure. I’ll be over here, call me if you need help then.” Markus nodded and lead Simon along further into the store. They could hear the girl stepping back behind the counter and talking to the other employee.  
“They’re Androids! Since when do Androids go out to buy clothes?”  
“Maybe their owner sent them here? I guess some want their Androids to look more like humans so they might not like them always wearing their uniforms?”  
“On their own? That’s so weird! The one who answered me was cute though, I’ve never seen that model. Did you see his freckles?”  
They heard the other employee chuckle. “I thought the blonde one looked cuter. But did you notice they’re holding hands? That’s so adorable!”  
“No way! Do you think they’re dating?? Can Androids date? Oh my god if that’s a thing then I ship these two!”  
The girls giggled, and Markus could feel their stares at the back of his head. He sighed. Why did humans have to be so curious about everything?  
“Do you want me to let go of your hand?” asked Simon quietly, looking at him mildly concerned.   
Markus shook his head. “Nah, let’s just go check out this corner first, at least they can’t watch us there.” He acted nonchalantly, trying not to let Simon notice how much he disliked the thought of him letting go of his hand simply because two humans were making assumptions about them. Markus couldn’t care less about what they thought about him. As long as it didn’t bother Simon, it wouldn’t bother him either.

  
They walked over to another corner of the store, finally out of sight of the two curious girls. Markus looked over the clothes displayed in that section. They seemed to be mostly long-sleeved shirts, sweaters and hoodies. Markus didn’t feel the cold, his temperature regulators worked fine. Except for some moments that involved Simon, apparently. However, he also knew that Carl always insisted on him wearing warmer clothing when they went out in colder temperatures. And Simon didn’t seem to be able to handle the cold as much as he did, so picking up a few warmer items probably was a good idea.   
While he was still in thought, Simon had already stepped closer to the clothing rack and started looking through the different items of clothing.  
“See anything good?” said Markus as he stepped closer to look at the clothes as well.   
Simon grabbed a collared shirt in a dark navy blue and nodded. “Yea. This would look good on you!” He smiled at Markus and held the shirt in front of him. Markus chuckled and took the shirt from him. “Thanks, but I actually meant if you saw anything for yourself. We’re both here to get new clothes you know? Not just clothes for me.”  
“I know” responded Simon. “But I can’t help it, you’d look so good in this!”   
Did Markus imagine that or did Simon just wink at him?  
“Alright, alright.” He let go of Simons hand shortly, only to gentle ruffle through the Blonde Androids hair. “I’ll try it on later, ok? Let’s find something for you as well first.”  
Simon smiled brightly at the action. “Okay…but you gotta help me pick, I have no idea.” He pouted slightly, and Markus felt the strange urge to squish his cheeks.   
“Sure….let me see.” He browsed through a few of the clothing items, then picked out a long-sleeved, black shirt with a sort of turtleneck collar. “This should be good for keeping you warm.”   
Simon took it from him, but looked a bit disappointed. Did he not like it? Markus wondered, but Simon had already grabbed his hand and pulled him to the changing cabins. “See you in a bit!”   
And the blonde Android disappeared behind a curtain, leaving Markus to wonder what was wrong with his selection. It was practical, turtlenecks were supposed to be good at keeping people warm. At least that’s what the definition said when he had looked it up. Markus sighed and stepped into a changing cabin as well. He would ask Simon about it later, he decided and started changing into the shirt that Simon had picked for him. It fit perfectly, Markus noted as he looked at himself in the mirror. The dark navy color was a nice contrast to his green eyes…Simon was right, this suited him.

  
Oh…  
That’s why Simon had looked unhappy with his choice. Markus had simply thought about practicality, while Simon had picked something that would be specifically suited for Markus. Markus sighed and decided he’d find something better for Simon later on. Carl had told them to get more pieces of clothing, after all, not just one.   
He stepped out of the changing cabin and waited for Simon to finish changing too.  
Shortly after, he could see the curtain of the cabin Simon was in opening and Simon stepped out.   
“Uh Markus….i don’t think this fits entirely?” He fumbled a bit with the sleeves, pulling them down over his hands. Length-wise, the shirt fit perfectly. The rest of it fit….too perfectly, Markus thought as he couldn’t help but let his gaze wander down Simons upper body. Apparantly, this shirt was supposed to fit very, very tightly.   
“It…uh…wow.” Markus didn’t know what to say, somehow the way that shirt seemed to hug every small curve on Simons torso perfectly was distracting him.   
“Markus?” Simon had stepped closer to him, carefully watching his gaze and now slowly forming his lips into a cheeky smile as he realized that Markus was checking him out. “What do you think? Does it look ok?” He turned his body to the side, still watching Markus reaction.   
Markus could feel his cheeks heating up again. It looked more than okay but…

  
“Maybe uh….maybe with another shirt on top? I mean…you’ll stand out a lot if you go outside like that…”  
Simon chuckled. “Sure, then I can wear something on top in public and just this when I’m at home, right?”  
Markus could only nod, trying not to imagine Simon wearing this shirt all day at home.   
“Great!” Simon exclaimed and went back to the clothing rack. Markus was about to go back into the cabin to change back into his own shirt when Simon turned around and shot him a bright smile. “Oh and…told you it would look good on you.”   
Markus felt that now already familiar warmth return to his cheeks. “Thank you Simon.”   
By the time he had changed back into his own shirt, Simon had already found a shirt to wear on top and put it on as well. How fast was this Android with picking out clothes?  
Simon had chosen a white T-Shirt with some pastel colored print on it. It contrasted the black of the longsleeved shirt nicely, Markus thought. It was slightly oversized, and with length of the sleeves of the black shirt underneath that covered half of Simons hands and the turtleneck that peeked out underneath the T-Shirt it almost looked kind of…cute.  
“Do you like it?” asked Simon, stepping closer to him with a sweet smile on his face.  
Markus nodded and smiled right back at him. “Yeah! It looks….” Cute.  
“Yes?”  
“Good. It looks uh….good.”  
Simon chuckled. “Then I’ll get those!” He turned back to the cabin.   
  
Markus smiled to himself while waiting for Simon to get changed back. Picking out clothes for Simon, and having him pick out clothes for him was nice. He’d never done that before.  
Markus stepped over to another clothing rack and started browsing through it again. This time, he wanted to find something that would not just be practical, but also suit Simon specifically. After a few minutes, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, and Simon leaned his chin on Markus shoulder from behind. “I’m back. Found anything else?”  
Markus turned his head to smile at him. “In fact, I actually did.” He held up the light blue sweater that he’d picked out. It was slightly oversized, felt very soft and had a white collar attached to it with small, dark blue hearts on the edges. Simon took the sweater, and looked at it curiously. “This?”   
Wanting to justify his choice for some reason, Markus quickly responded. “It’s a good color for you, and it’s warm so you won’t get cold and i think you’d look cute in this.”   
Simons lips curled into a smile. “Cute?”

  
Oh shit. “Uh…” He hadn’t meant to say cute, it just had slipped out somehow.   
Simon chuckled. “I’ll go try it on.” He pressed a quick peck on Markus cheek before moving back to the changing cabin, leaving a flustered Markus alone with his thoughts. Markus quickly looked up the definition of cute, wondering why he so often used adjectives for him that weren’t normally used for Androids. When he looked it up, the results were mostly photos of young animals, like puppies or kittens. Now that couldn’t be right, Markus wondered. Simon was not a puppy. ‘Cute – attractive in a pretty or an endearing way’ was another definition that showed up, but it didn’t help much with Markus confusion. He knew Androids were made to be attractive to the human eye, especially those at the Eden Club. But he, as an Android, wasn’t supposed to find anyone attractive. Or cute. Why did he think that way about Simon?  
“So, what do you think? How do I look?” a soft voice spoke out from the changing cabins.  
Markus blinked and turned around, trying to push his thoughts to the side as he looked at Simon.  
“…cute.”

He couldn’t help it. Simon looked…cute. The size of the sweater made him look so slim and kind of small even though he wasn’t really much smaller than Markus was. The color complimented his blue eyes, and the color with the hearts on it gave the look a playful touch.   
Simon chuckled, clearly amused by Markus’ sudden lack of vocabulary. “Thanks.” He tugged a little on the sleeves, then turned to a mirror in the store to look at himself. “I think I like it too…”  
Markus smiled and stepped closer to him. “I’m glad you like it. It suits you.”  
Simon smiled warmly at him, then tilted his head to the side. “You know…I didn’t know you had such a weird sense of humor Markus.”  
Markus blinked confused. “Huh?”  
The Blonde one just chuckled and tugged a little on the collar of the shirt. “I mean…blue hearts, really? Is that your way of saying you’re giving me your heart?” He grinned at him, his eyes glittering playfully.  
Markus felt the warmth return to his cheeks. “I- that wasn’t what I was trying to….thirium pumps don’t look like that?” Simon chuckled and gently poked his cheek. “I know. I’m just teasing you. Now let’s find some more clothes for you as well.”

  
They spent the next 30 minutes looking around the store, picking out clothes for each other. Markus added another warm sweater, a short-sleeved shirt as well as a new pair of black pants and a warm, fleece-lined jacket to Simons pile of clothing while Simon added two more collared shirts as well as a simple black T-Shirt and a long, beige coat to the clothing items Markus was already holding. Then they finally went back to the counter in the entrance area and placed the pile of clothing on it.  
The two girls who worked there seemed a bit surprised, glance wandering from the pile of clothing back to the Androids. “Uh…you guys had fun shopping, huh?” one of them chuckled nervously.   
Markus nodded and smiled politely. “Yeah. There’s a good selection of items here.”  
The girl with the auburn hair started ringing up their items and told them the total price. “Do you want to pay in cash or through our online payment system?”  
“Online is fine, just give me a moment” responded Markus, then completed the transaction. It felt like the girl was staring at his LED while he did so.   
“A-alright then, here are your bags!” She quickly put on a smile again and handed the bags over the counter. Simon stepped forward to take them, but Markus quickly grabbed his hand to prevent him from doing so. “I’ll carry them, they’re heavy.” Simon smiled brightly at him as Markus took the bags. “Thank you Markus!”

  
They were on their way to leave the store when the other employee shouted “wait” and rushed over to them. “I uh…” She nervously fumbled around with the hem of her shirt. “I just wanted to say that uh…you two are really cute together, and uhm even if you’re Androids…I hope you can be happy together.”   
Markus blinked surprised as he looked at the girl who was now smiling nervously. He didn’t know how to react.  
Luckily, Simon stepped forward and smiled brightly at the girl. “Thank you for saying that. We appreciate it.” He gave her a short nod and a smile again before turning around and leaving the store with Markus. Markus could catch the girl sighing in relief, a genuine smile spreading across her face as she watched them leave. He couldn’t quite place the interaction.  
As Markus was carrying their bags, this time Simon simply linked their arms together instead of holding onto his hand. He was still smiling, and if Simon seemed happy about it, Markus concluded that he should categorize that strange interaction with that girl as a positive one. Anything was positive if it made Simon smile, he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i loved reading your comments! i'm so glad you guys still enjoy the story, and also hello to all new readers! :D


	9. Chapter 9

When they left the store, it was already around 3PM in the afternoon. Since Carl had told them not to be back before dinnertime, Markus figured they should probably stay in town for about an hour more before slowly heading back to prepare dinner for Carl. They slowly walked back to the main square. Luckily, the protesters seemed to have disappeared already. There was a human musician playing songs on his guitar at the square, some people were standing around him to listen. Markus spotted an empty bench nearby, maybe this was a good option to spend some more time before they would head home. Simon followed his gaze and smiled, walking over to the bench with Markus. He let go of his arm so that Markus could place their bags on the ground.   
Markus breathed in the cool air. He didn’t have to, but it felt relaxing to do so. He felt a warm hand placed over his and looked over to Simon, who apparently had been watching him.  
“Thank you for today Markus.”  
Markus blinked. “For what? I didn’t do anything, you gotta thank Carl for letting us go here and buy stuff.”  
Simon shook his head and intertwined his fingers with his. “I’ll thank him later. But because of you I….i had a really great day. And I want to thank you for that…for being so kind to me.” Markus gently squeezed Simons hand and smiled at him. “That’s nothing you have to thank me for…” He didn’t have any reason to not be kind to Simon. After all, the blonde Android was always gentle and kind to him as well. It was only natural for him to be the same. And….Markus couldn’t deny that he felt a lot more relaxed and more content with Simon around. Somehow, the presence of the blonde Android was pleasant. He didn’t know why he thought that, after all he wasn’t designed to have opinions on whether something was pleasant or not. But that’s what it was.   
“You’re thinking about stuff again, huh?” Simon asked, his soft voice being close to Markus’ ear as he was leaning against his side. Markus instantly got slightly tenser. He always got caught when he was deep in his own thoughts, and he knew that wasn’t something a functional Android should be doing.   
“Relax, Markus. It’s not something bad.” Simon gently pecked his cheek again. This was already the third time today, Markus noted.

“Just…enjoy the music for a bit, and relax Markus.” As Simon said that, he moved closer to him and swung his legs over one of Markus’ legs. Then he leaned his head against Markus shoulder.  
Markus felt his cheeks heating up again. What was he doing? Not that he disliked it but…  
“Simon I don’t think that this is something friends do…”  
Simon just chuckled. “And you’re the one and only judge of that? It is something friends do, those humans are doing the same.” And he pointed over to two girls sitting on another bench in a similar position while listening to the musician as well. Markus scanned them, his social interactions program was telling him it was much more likely that these two were more than simply friends, but he decided not to mention it. Having Simon cuddled against him like that wasn’t too different from how they slept during rest mode, and Markus couldn’t deny that it did help him relax. He rested his head against Simons and quietly listened to the musician. Judging by his knowledge of music that he’d acquired due to Carl insisting on showing him several musicians as well as teaching him how to play the piano, this musician was quite good. The sounds of the acoustic guitar along with his singing made for a pleasant thing to listen to. Simon had started to gently rub his thumb over the back of his hand, and Markus felt all the tension leave his body. This felt nice.

They stayed like this for a while, leaned against each other and quietly listening to the music. After half an hour, the musician started packing up and left, but Simon didn’t seem to want to get up so they stayed for a few more minutes more, simply enjoying each other’s company without talking.  
“We should head back Simon, it’s getting late” said Markus after a while. Simon groaned and nuzzled his face into Markus’ shoulder. “But it’s comfy here…”   
Markus chuckled. “Come on, I gotta prepare dinner for Carl or he’ll order something super unhealthy for dinner. We can’t let that happen now, can we?”  
Simon looked up at him with a slight pout on his face.  
“Simon…it’s not gonna work” said Markus with a smile and tapped lightly against Simons nose.   
“Okay okay…I’ll get up” said Simon and removed his legs from Markus’. He still had a slight pout on his face, but he stood up and grabbed two of the shopping bags before Markus could say anything.   
“At least let me carry those, so I can hold your hand.”  
Markus smiled and stood up as well. “Alright.” He took the rest of the bags and they made their way back to the bus stop.   
  
When they returned to the house, Carl insisted that they show him the clothes they bought. He seemed pleasantly surprised with what they had bought. “I thought I’d had to scold you for only getting cheap stuff Markus, I’m glad you two actually got some good things for yourselves” he had said with a smile and a pat on Markus shoulder. “Of course, you gave very specific instructions after all Carl.” Markus responded with a smile.   
He had prepared a simple dinner, and the three of them had spent dinnertime with talking about their day. Markus conveniently left out how the protesters had tried to stir up a fight with them, he knew it would worry Carl. Simon had left out that story as well, after seeing that Markus skipped right to how they arrived at the paint store when retelling their days events.

  
Soon after dinner, Carl went to bed and Markus and Simon retreated into their room as well.  
Markus sorted their newly bought clothes into their closets while Simon already changed into his sleeping clothes. He grabbed his sleeping clothes and quickly changed into them as well before laying down on the bed with Simon.   
“I really liked today.” Said Simon quietly as he rolled over onto his side to look at Markus.   
“Me too. It was…nice.” Responded Markus while turning to face Simon.   
“Maybe we can do this more often…going into town, I mean.”   
Markus nodded. “I can ask Carl. It should be okay during the times he doesn’t need me, or wants his space anyways.” Simon smiled brightly at his answer and gently grabbed Markus’ hand. “Markus i…uhm…”  
Did he imagine that or was there a light blueish tint on Simons cheeks? “Yes?”  
Simon intertwined their fingers and looked up at him again. “I’m…I’m really glad I get to be here. With you.”  
Markus felt warm, suddenly. He gently tightened his grip on Simons hand. “I’m…I’m glad you’re here too.”  
The blonde Android smiled warmly, and leaned in closer. “We should rest. Goodnight, Markus.”   
And with that, Simon pressed a gentle, short kiss on Markus’ lips.   
  
_Biocomponent #342 reaching unusual temperates_

A warning blinked in the right corner as Markus stared at Simon with flushed cheeks. “Simon I told you, you don’t have to do that…”  
Simon sighed. “You’re repeating yourself.” Then he smiled again. “Friends do that. It’s just a goodnight kiss, don’t worry.” And with that, he pecked Markus’ lips again before pulling the blanket over both of them. “Now shush, let’s go sleep.”  
Markus touched his own lips, still thinking about what just happened. His LED was blinking yellow, but strangely enough…he didn’t mind the kiss. It felt…soft. And warm. It felt nice. He slowly laid down next to Simon and pulled the blanket a bit higher up. Simon immediately moved over to cuddle against him, eyes aready closed.  
“Good night Simon…”said Markus quietly, and pressed a gentle kiss against Simons forehead. It felt right. He could see Simons lips curl into a smile before his LED switched to the light green of rest mode. Markus watched him for a moment, making sure he was having no nightmares before he closed his eyes and tried to fall into rest mode too. This time, he didn’t have to spend hours in bed in the dark thinking about the day. All he felt was a strange warmth in his chest, that wasn’t unpleasant. He slowly drifted into rest mode as well, arm wrapped around Simon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the kudos and comments!  
> This chapter is a bit shorter again, but i wanted to get it up before uni starts again next week and i might be a bit busier ;; hope you guys like it!


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next few weeks, they settled into a new routine. Their daily life was still the same, however, any boundaries they had before seemed to be gone. In the morning, Simon would now get up around the same time as Markus, but he’d refuse to actually get out of bed unless Markus pressed a gentle kiss against his forehead. And in the night, Markus would now always get a goodnight kiss from Simon before they fell asleep. Sometimes, these goodnight kisses seemed to last a tiny little bit longer than Markus’ database deemed appropriate for a friendly goodnight kiss. He never said anything though. He didn’t mind.   
During the day, Simon barely left his side. He started helping with preparing food for Carl, however he was not exactly skilled at cooking. He had burned an easy scrambled egg more than once, which resulted in a pouting Simon and a laughing Markus who would then attempt to somehow save the dish, which usually meant simply making a new scrambled egg. Simon was definitely not a great chef, but Markus didn’t mind. It was nice having company in the kitchen, having someone around while he fulfilled his daily tasks. Sometimes, when Simon already gave up on trying to actively help with cooking, he’d simply wrap his arms around Markus’ waist from behind and leaned his chin on his shoulder, watching his hands as Markus skillfully prepared lunch, or dinner.

Simon also started to occasionally give him pecks on the cheek during the day, not caring at all whether they were alone or if Carl was there. He also started to become a lot cuddlier. Before, when they would watch movies on the couch they’d simply sit there next to each other, sometimes holding hands, sometimes not. These days, Simon was either halfway sprawled across Markus lap as he was laying on the couch, or he’d directly sit on his lap, leaned back against Markus as they watched TV.

Carl had been very amused when he found them in the living room like that one day. He had also asked Markus if he was sure that Simon was human, because he looked more like a lapdog in this moment. Markus had been too distracted by Carl calling Simon human to notice that Simon eagerly agreed that yes, if that meant he could cuddle with Markus all the time then he’d gladly be a puppy. He was almost used to Carl treating him as if he was human, but somehow he noticed his choice of words a lot more when he was talking about Simon. And when he saw how Simon smiled at his words, he decided he was glad that Carl treated them equally. Even though they were not actually human. Simon had pulled him out of his thoughts by pressing another kiss against his cheek. He’d done that often these weeks, and somehow, Markus spent a lot less time getting caught up in his thoughts, and a lot more time enjoying the present. Enjoying something…he hadn’t thought that was in his program, but according to the few searches Markus had done in his database, that’s what he was doing. Enjoying his days.

On some afternoons, they both accompanied Carl to the studio and watched him draw. Sometimes Markus would draw something too. He had told Simon earlier that Carl had encouraged him to draw, and even though he wasn’t programmed for it, it was a nice activity to do. Markus drawings looked intriguing to Simon, and Carl often commented that Markus had enough talent to become an artist himself one day. Markus would always deny it, saying how Androids do not have talents, they only had their programming. Carl would never listen.

On this afternoon, Carl had asked Simon to try and draw something. Simon had tried to refuse, saying that he didn’t know how and he surely wasn’t as talented as Carl or Markus were. Markus had chuckled and gently tapped his shoulder. “I tried to refuse too Simon, but you know Carl….that won’t work. Just try it, maybe you’ll even like drawing.” Carl had agreed, and then told Simon “Art is about seeing things that aren’t there. It’s about expressing yourself, your thoughts, your emotions. Try drawing something.” Simon had listened carefully, LED blinking yellow as he was thinking about what to draw. Then he nodded and stepped over to the blank canvas, grabbing a brush and some paint before starting to paint the canvas. Markus and Carl had given him some space while he painted.  
  
“I think I’m done…” Simon said quietly, stepping away from the canvas after a while, as Carl and Markus came over to look at his painting.  
If he needed to breathe, Markus thought, he’d surely have lost his breath. Simons painting was a sort of expression that he had never seen before. The strokes of the brush had been rushed, and Simon had used a lot of pressure. Markus could make out vaguely human figures with strangely long fingers reaching for a small, barely visible blue shape in the middle of the painting. The darkness of the black and grey colors seemed to drown the blue. It was….scary, thought Markus. The painting showed fear, panic. Was that what Simon was thinking about? Was that what he saw in the nights where he had those nightmares? No wonder he was terrified…Markus turned towards Simon, who was watching his reaction with signs of worry on his face. He felt the strange need to hug the other Android, and never let go.  
  
“Amazing…” said Carl quietly, still looking at the painting. He turned to face Simon. “You seem to have a lot to express…is this based on anything that happened?”  
Simon wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly looking so small and fragile. “It…uhm…yeah. Dreams. Dreams and….some memories…”  
He needed to protect him, Markus thought. Whatever happened to him…he’d never let it happen again. Markus quickly stepped over to Simon and pulled him into a tight hug. The blonde Android was incredibly tense, but he could feel him relax slowly in his arms. Carl moved over to them and gently patted Simons arm. “Well, whatever it was…I’m glad you’re here with us now.”   
  
The three of them had spent that evening in the living room together, watching light-hearted movies with Simon curled up on Markus lap until Carl could barely hold his eyes open and had to go to bed. Markus kept his arm around Simon as they walked back to their room. They quickly changed and went to bed, but this time Simon didn’t have to cuddle against Markus as Markus immediately pulled him close to him once they laid down and pulled the blanket over themselves.  
“Markus? Is…everything okay?” asked Simon quietly, surprised by the other Androids action.  
Markus simply held him closer as his green eyes were looking at Simon with an expression that was hard to read.  
“Your painting Simon…is that what you see in those dreams you have sometimes?”  
Simon tensed up slightly, LED blinking yellow as he looked at Markus a bit unsure. Then he slowly nodded. “Yes…sometimes. It’s not always the same though…“  
„You said it was based on experience too…what does that mean? “   
The blonde Android started avoiding his gaze. „It’s…nothing that happened specifically.”  
Markus placed his finger on Simons chin and gently made him look up at him again. “Tell me…please.”  
Simon took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around Markus.   
“It’s…you know already. You know where I used to live. What I used to do…”  
Markus gently rubbed over Simons back, waiting for the other one to continue speaking when he was ready.  
“At the Eden Club they….I already told you that they wipe our memory every two hours. But it’s a very simple memory wipe...they just make us forget faces, and names. They don’t let us forget anything else. So those shadows….those faceless people that I drew…”  
Simon shivered, and Markus held him closer.   
“That’s…the people that went to the Eden Club?” asked Markus quietly.  
Simon nodded. “Yes…”  
“You’re…scared of them?” Markus still spoke quietly.  
Simon nodded again. “I think so…sometimes I dream about it. My past. It’s…not pleasant. I…I wish I wouldn’t remember any of it. There’s a reason why they make Androids do that job….most humans wouldn’t.” His voice was shaking a little. “I…I never want to go back there.”  
Markus gently pressed a kiss to his forehead, holding him as close as possible. “You don’t have to. You’ll never have to. I’m so sorry you had to experience that Simon…”  
Simon leaned his face against Markus’ chest. “It’s not your fault…thank you for letting me stay here.” He hesitated for a bit, then continued speaking. “The past few weeks…the dreams have gotten less. I barely have them now. But when Carl asked me to express something that only I see…that’s what came to my mind. I didn’t want to worry you…Sorry.”  
Markus shook his head and gently ran his fingers through Simon’s soft hair. “It’s ok Simon. I’m glad the dreams have gotten better…I just want you to be ok.”  
Simon leaned back a bit to look at Markus again. “Thank you…” His lips curled into a very small smile, and he reached up to press a soft kiss against Markus cheek. “I’m glad I’m here.”  
Markus smiled back at him. “I’m glad too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a big thank you to everyone who left kudos or comments here, I'm always so happy to read them ;;  
> uni started for me, so i might not be able to update very often but i still hope you guys like this chapter!


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